|
The zesty and nostalgic urban aura of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue seems tailor-made for Hong's combination of rhythmic gusto, affection and gleeful attack."
"[Alpin Hong] offers vibrantly etched performances... He casts a keen ear for textural clarity and structure on Bach's Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, even within lavish sonorities that bask in the concert grand's many-splendoured possibilities... To Mendelssohn's Rondo capriccioso Hong applies the nimblest of touch, finding the lilting and brilliant qualities in the scampering material, while also lingering sensitively in poetic passages... He shapes Mendelssohn's On Wings of Song with utmost attention to lyrical tenderness... he treats Ginastera's Danzas Argentinas with equal degrees of fierce bravura and finesse."
— Gramophone
"Alpin Hong plays everything from Mendelssohn to 'Super Mario' in Gilmore for Kids show"
— Kalamazoo Gazette
Read the full article on "The Ultimate Special Effect with Alpin Hong" here! [this will open a new window] 
Click here to check out the interactive online presentation of "The Ultimate Special Effect with Alpin Hong"
"Hong has a clear opportunity to do for the classical piano what Yo-Yo Ma did for the cello: make it hip."
"The orchestra's ranks swelled for Maurice Ravel's Concerto in G Minor for Piano and Orchestra, with Alpin Hong on piano. Tall, lithe and elegant, Hong attacked the piece with a rare and assured hand.
From the crisp clap that kicks off the concerto, Hong, Dunner and the orchestra highlighted the connection between soloist and orchestra, with the piano often underscoring and complimenting the strings and wind instruments at one moment, then thundering over them the next. The piece beautifully juxtaposed a classical sensibility with a jazz intension.
Hong was especially brilliant on the melodious second movement, making it sound almost liquid. Then he attacked the third with flair and verve. The entire piece was breathtakingly exciting.
After a standing ovation and three curtain calls, Hong returned to perform Sonata for Left Hand Alone by Alexander Scriabin. The piece was composed for pianist Paul Witkenstein, who lost his right hand during World War I.
It was a true tour-de-force in which Hong showed his talent and his showmanship."
— Idaho Statesman
"Alpin Hong: Classical for the iPod generation"
— Ocala Star-Banner
Read the full article here [this will open a new window]
"Pianist Hong will amaze with his 'flying hands'
Charm and virtuosity know no boundaries when Alpin Hong gets behind a piano."
— The Northwestern
"Stunning debut recital by Hong"
"Scarlatti. Brahms. Debussy. Stravinsky. Listening to the debut recital on CD by Los Angeles-born, Juilliard-educated Alpin Hong, an interesting picture came to my mind. I visualized the sort of feat a master juggler will sometimes set for himself, keeping four objects of dissimilar weight, shape, and texture - say, a rubber ball, an Indian club, a pineapple, and a bowling ball - in motion all at once. Without deciding which of our famous composers is going to play the role of the pineapple, I will say that Hong's range of interests as a young concert artist on the rise is likewise impressive.
continued.....
— Atlanta Audio Society - January 2005
Read the full article here [this will open a new window]
"...highly improvisational... articulate and sensual...
[Hong] manages to punch and to coax enough multifarious colors from his instrument to engage and to seduce our feet to tapping and our heads nodding in sympathetic, stride rhythm. An auspicious CD debut, Mr. Hong."
— Audiophile Audition - Gary Lemco
Read the full article here [this will open a new window]
| 
